LONDON — Haiti’s president condemned a British charity Tuesday for a sexual misconduct scandal in his country, describing the alleged misbehavior of aid workers assigned to earthquake recovery efforts as a violation of basic human decency.
The comments from President Jovenel Moise add to the condemnation anti-poverty charity Oxfam has received since the Times of London revealed that some staff members paid for sex while working in Haiti among people devastated by the 2010 earthquake.
“There is nothing more shameful than a sexual predator using the veil of catastrophe as a means to exploit the vulnerable in their most defenseless moments,” Moise said in a statement released Tuesday. “What transpired is a violation of basic human decency.”
Also Tuesday, Britain’s charity watchdog opened an inquiry into how Oxfam handled allegations of sexual abuse in Haiti in 2011.
Documents provided by Oxfam have led to further questions and suggest the charity might not have “fully and frankly disclosed material details about the allegations at the time,” the Charity Commission said.
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